Unknown

ABSTRACT

A comfort system for a seat, in particular for vehicle and aircraft passenger seats mounted one behind the other in a row, having at least one support component ( 1 ) which may be moved from a non-use position to a use position, in which the foot and leg components ( 3, 5 ) of a seat occupant rest on at least one support surface, the respective support component ( 1 ) being held in the use position by means of a fastening mechanism ( 15 ) and extending at least in part into a foot space which may be used by the occupant of the rear seat of two seats mounted in a row, the support component ( 1 ) clearing the foot space when the component is in the non-use position, the support component ( 1 ) being essentially flexible and when in the use position at least in part following a curved path, and the fastening mechanism ( 15 ) being mounted on the front seat of two seats mounted in a row.

The invention relates to a comfort system for a seat, in particular for vehicle and aircraft passenger seats mounted one behind the other in a row, having at least one support component which may be moved from a non-use position to a use position in which the foot and leg components of a seat occupant rest on at least one support surface, the respective seat component, held in the use position by means of a fastening mechanism, extending at least in part into a foot space which may be used by the occupant of the rear seat of two seats mounted in a row and the support component clearing the foot space when the component is in the non-use position.

Comfort systems of this type have been disclosed. As is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,352,020 for the example of a comfort system for an aircraft passenger seat, such comfort systems customarily have a support component in the form of an extendable telescoping carrier which is pivot-mounted in the front edge area of the seating surface of the seat involved and which in the non-use position may be folded downward toward the cabin floor to assume a shortened, collapsed condition. This carrier may be pivoted toward the front upward from the non-use position, so that it extends, tilted in relation to the vertical in the foot space, to an area below the backrest of the seat immediately to the front in the row. Support surfaces providing support for the feet of the occupant are obtained through extension, that is, telescopic lengthening, of the carrier.

It is a disadvantage that the rigid carrier forms support surfaces extending in one plane, so that shaped upholstered supports are required in order to provide a pleasant, physiologically adapted surface supporting the feet of the seat occupant. Another specific disadvantage is represented by the fact that considerable construction effort is required for the telescoping carrier and the associated adjustable fastening mechanism, and this entails both high production costs and very high structural weight. This presents a disadvantage especially in the case of aircraft passenger seats.

On the basis of this state of the art the object of the invention is to create a comfort system which may be produced cost-effectively by simple means and yet affords the seat occupant increased comfort in the form of comfortable support.

It is claimed for the invention that this object is attained with a comfort system possessing the features specified in claim 1 in its entirety.

In place of a rigid, hinged, structural component of variable horizontal length the invention accordingly provides an essentially flexible support element which, since its fastening mechanism is mounted on the front seat of two seats mounted one behind the other, is curved when extended into the use position from the front into the foot space, its curvature closely adjoining the supported feet components of the seat occupant. An especially comfortable physiognomically favorable support of the respective feet components is thereby achieved, without the need for shaped upholstery components, so that maximum comfort is achieved. At the same time, there is an appreciable saving of weight compared with the disclosed system, as a result of elimination of the adjustment cinematics such as are required for the customary rigid telescoping extendable support components, so that the additional advantage is gained of extremely low production costs.

By preference the fastening mechanism is mounted in the front area of the underside of the associated seat. Since the area below the forward seat of two seats positioned one behind the other is used as foot space for the passenger of the seat to the rear in vehicles for transporting passengers, passenger aircraft in particular, only a structural length which is relatively small in relation to the longitudinal direction of the seat is required for the support component in this configuration for forming the desired support for the feet components of the passenger.

The fastening mechanism may be configured so that it retains the support component detachably in the non-use position near the underside of the seat. When not in use, that is, when stowed, only a very small amount of space is required for the flexible support component, since because of its flexibility it can closely adjoin the underside of the seat, so that virtually the entire foot space remains free and unimpeded when the component is in the non-use position.

By preference the flexible support component has at least one strip-like path forming at least a part of the support surface. If this path is made, in one especially advantageous exemplary embodiment, of a fabric or mesh, preferably in the form of a net of a material selected to ensure fire safety, the support component may be in the form of a foot net suspended from the fastening mechanism, a net in which the feet of the seat occupant may be accommodated as in a hammock. A foot net made in this manner ensures particularly pleasant support of the feet of the occupant introduced into the net.

The front end of the support component, preferably in the form of a net, may be fastened in the front area of the seat structure on the underside of the associated seat. The rear edge of the support component opposite the front, fastened, end of the support component in the form of a net may be suspended by means of a movable carrier of the fastening mechanism, one end, the front end, of which is mounted adjacent to the fastened front end of the support component on the carrier structure so as to pivot about an axis positioned to be vertical relative to the longitudinal direction of the seat and the rear end of which projecting to the rear from the pivot axis forms the attachment for the rear edge of the support component (for example a net).

In one especially simple structure light in weight the carrier of the fastening mechanism has a bow essentially U-shaped in outline on the bar of which, extending transversely to the longitudinal direction of the seat, the rear edge of the support component configured as a net, for example, is fastened and the sides of which extending in the longitudinal direction along the side edges of the support component are hinge-connected to form the pivot bearing on the seat structure.

If a spring configuration is present which prestresses the sides of the bow into a pivot position near the underside of the seat corresponding to the non-use position of the net from which the bow may be moved against the force of the spring to assume the use position, handling, that is, transfer to the use position and stowing of the support component (a net, for example) for non-use, is found to be especially simple.

By preference the pivot bearing of the bow has a detent mechanism by means of which the pivoting movement of the bow may be detachably locked in at least one preferred pivot position. The detent mechanism may, for example, be configured so that a locked position is provided for the use position, one in which the rear end of the bow and rear end of the net suspended on it are positioned a distance from the cabin floor such that the feet of the seat occupant may be accommodated in a hammock-like trough formed by the net.

The invention will be described in detail below on the basis of an exemplary embodiment illustrated in the drawing, in which

FIG. 1 presents a simplified diagram of a detached diagonal perspective view exclusively of the essential structural elements of the seating area of an aircraft passenger seat, less cover, upholstery, additional mechanisms, or the like, provided with an exemplary embodiment of the comfort system claimed for the invention in the form of a foot net, shown in the use position with the feet components of a user accommodated in the foot net;

FIG. 2 a side view exclusively of the area of a transverse support beam of the seat structure shown in FIG. 1 with fastening mechanism hinge-connected to it for the foot net as in the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 a perspective diagonal view of the feature shown in FIG. 2.

The comfort system claimed for the invention is explained in the present description on the basis of an exemplary embodiment in which a support component in the form of a foot net designated as a whole as 1 is associated with an aircraft passenger seat which is part of a row of seats mounted one behind another. More precisely, the seat shown in FIG. 1 is a seat behind which there is positioned a corresponding additional seat (not shown) the occupant of which, indicated by a detached view of part of a lower leg 3, has placed his shoes 5 in the foot net 1. As is to be seen in FIG. 1, the foot net 1 shown in the use position has been suspended so that the shoes 5 are accommodated in the foot net 1 a short distance above the cabin floor 7, the foot net 1, because of its flexibility, closely adjoining the shoes 5 of the occupant in the fashion of a hammock.

As is shown in FIG. 1, the foot net 1 is fastened at its front end to a front end strip 9 of the seat structure by means of fastening screws 11, which are positioned adjacent to the associated side edge of the foot net 1. A fastening mechanism with movable carrier on which the rear end 13 of the foot net 1 is suspended is present as carrier for the foot net 1 freely suspended from the end strip 9, that is, for retaining the foot net 1 in the use position shown in FIG. 1 and for transferring it to a non-use position.

The fastening mechanism has as movable carrier an integral bent bow 15 of round spring steel. As is shown more distinctly in FIGS. 2 and 3, the bow 15 is U-shaped in outline, with a straight rear transverse portion 17 (FIG. 3) and longer side portions 19 extending in the longitudinal direction of the seat and bent slightly outward at bending points 21 and 23. The rear end 13 of the foot net 1 is suspended on the rear transverse portion 17 of the bow 15 by means of an end pouch 25 of the foot net 1 accommodating the corresponding end component of the bow 15.

The ends opposite the transverse portion of the side portions 19 of the bow 15 are hinge-connected below a transverse support beam 29 of the seat structure, displaced slightly forward of this beam 29, to a pivot bearing 27 which defines for each side portion 19 a pivot axis extending transversely to the longitudinal direction of the seat.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show the bow 15 in the pivot position immediately adjacent to the underside of the seat, this pivot position corresponding to the non-use position. Because of the slightly curved shape of the side portions 19 of the bow 15 at the bending points 21 and 23, the bow of this pivot bearing is in close contact with the underside of the seat, so that the foot net 1 when in the non-use position closely adjoins the underside of the respective seat, and accordingly needs very little stowage space and leaves the foot space more or less clear. The bow 15 is prestressed into this pivot position by a rotary spring mechanism which has a wrap spring 31 enclosing the pivot pin on each pivot bearing 27. In order to pivot the bow 15 against the active force of the spring so as to move the foot net 1 into the use position, the seat occupant need only apply pressure to the end 13 of the foot net 1 and accordingly to the transverse portion 17 of the bow 15 to move the foot net 1 into the position shown in FIG. 1. As is clearly shown exclusively in FIGS. 2 and 3, there is associated on each pivot bearing 27, with the respective end of the side portion 19 of the bow 15 a detent mechanism which has a locking disk 33 with locking recesses 35 fastened on the seat structure, in which recesses a spring-loaded locking ball 37 on a locking arm 39 shown only in FIGS. 2 and 3 may be engaged.

The locking mechanism may be configured so that the side portion 19 may be detachably engaged in the position shown in FIG. 1, in which position the transverse portion 17 of the bow 15 is positioned above the cabin floor 7, but may be moved downward to the cabin floor 7 by means of a greater amount of force, so that deformation of the bow 15 may be prevented if an inordinate amount of force is applied (as a result of vandalism, for example).

As FIG. 1 shows, the foot net 1 is provided with a side enclosure 41 which extends from the rear end pouch 25 to the front end of the foot net 1 on the fastening screws 11. This enclosure 41 may be in the form of elastic bands.

As is to be seen in the figures, the foot net 1 extends in keeping with the shape, size, and mounting of the bow 15 essentially over the entire width of the seat component. The locking mechanism referred to in the foregoing may be configured so that, when the foot net 1 is in the use position, the occupant may, without application of excessive force and with the support of the springs 31, apply the tips of the feet to the rear end 13 of the foot net 1 so that these springs 31 may transfer the foot net 1 to the non-use position in which the latter is stored on the underside of the seat. 

1. A comfort system for a seat, in particular for vehicle and aircraft passenger seats mounted one behind the other in a row, having at least one support component (1) which may be moved from a non-use position to a use position in which the foot and leg components (3, 5) of a seat occupant rest on at least one support surface, the respective support component (1), held in the use position by means of a fastening mechanism (15), extending at least in part into a foot space which may be used by the occupant of the rear seat of two seats mounted in a row and the support component (1) clearing the foot space when in the non-use position, characterized in that the support component (1) is essentially flexible and when in the use position at least in part follows a curved path and in that the fastening mechanism (15) is mounted on the front seat of two seats mounted in a row.
 2. The comfort system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fastening mechanism (15) is mounted in the front area of the underside of the associated seat.
 3. The comfort system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the fastening mechanism (15) retains the support component (1) when in the non-use position detachably in a position near the underside of the seat.
 4. The comfort system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the support component (1) has at least one strip-like path forming at least a part of the support surface.
 5. The comfort system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the path is in the form of a fabric or mesh, preferably in net-like form (1), of a material selected with the aim of ensuring fire safety.
 6. The comfort system as claimed in one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the support component (1) is fastened by its front end to the underside of the associated seat in the front area of the seat structure.
 7. The comfort system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the fastening mechanism has a movable carrier (15) which is mounted by one end, the front end, adjacent to the fastened front end of the support component (1) on the carrier structure so as to pivot about an axis positioned to be vertical relative to the longitudinal direction of the seat and by its rear end (17) projecting rearward forms the suspension for the rear edge (13) of the support component (1).
 8. The comfort system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the carrier of the fastening mechanism has a bow (15) essentially U-shaped in outline on which there is fastened, on the portion (17) of which extending in the direction transverse to the direction of the seat, the rear edge (13) of the support component (1) configured, for example, as a net and the side portions (19) of which extending along the side edges of the support component (1) are hinge-connected to the seat structure on the end side to form the pivot bearing (27).
 9. The comfort system as claimed in claim 8, wherein a spring configuration (31) is present which prestresses the bow (15) into a pivot position adjacent to the underside of the seat which corresponds to the non-use position of the support component (1) configured preferably as a net, from which pivot position the bow (15) may be moved away from the underside of the seat against the operative force of the spring for transfer to the use position.
 10. The comfort system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the spring configuration has a wrap spring (31) which surrounds the pivot axis and is associated with each side portion (19) of the bow (15).
 11. The comfort system as claimed in one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the pivot bearing (27) of the bow (15) has a detent mechanism (33, 35, 37, 39) by means of which the pivot movement of the bow (15) may be detachably retained in at least one preferred pivot position. 